Quinoa and Belle pepper frittata
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I read somebody wrote something snarky like “She brought a frittata. What is she living in 2008?”…Well, as we all know, the frittata was not invented in 2008, and versions of frittatas and omelettes have literally been made for centuries all over the world. I am living in the present age of the practical sustainably minded people who like entertaining at brunch time who think cool presents are things like beeswax wrap and reusable straws. I think of myself as a food classist who loves trying some faddy things but knows the standbys are standbys for a reason. Frittatas can be elegant, they are relatively affordable to make and when made with a mind towards health, they have a considerable amount of protein to offer a crowd. If you use cage free eggs, you are making a dish with traditional protein which you can feel a little bit ok about. Make it for yourself and call it a For-my-tum-tatta, make it for your beau and tell em it’s called a “Flirtatta” or, as I have recently done, make it for your family and call it your Fam-tatta…the world is your egg wielding oyster!
My Warning - Make at your own risk….
It’s the worst kept secret I am famous for my frittata, and probably even more of badly ket secret, it’s not the only “f-word” I am (when it’s appropriate) an expert of dropping. Fritattas can be very distracting so don’t let the preparation of this frittata or its consumption, distract you from important things like keeping your valuables safe or the punchline of a very funny joke.
I have a frittata story: There’s a photo of me from Hoboken St. Patrick’s Day so many minutes ago and I obviously in the throes of making an award winning frittata. I wish I still had the photo, but in its absence I have it’s memory and the tight egg-dish game I have honed since then.
I also recall for the same event I made green chocolate dipped oreos (more enticing than they sound) and the green chocolate drips are probably still on the floor of the rats nest of a kitchen my apartment had. I was in an economy apartment so I could save to get to a better financial place, but this came with it the inconvenience of no windows in my bedroom, a railroad layout, blatant firecode violations and a sink which filled with detergent laden water every time you did your laundry. I digress, back to my frittata story: If you have not heard of the spectacle which is Hoboken St. Patrick’s day, I have several tips:
1) It is often not on St. Patrick’s Day so don’t show up and wonder what the fuss is about on actual St. Patrick’s day.
2) if you plan on going, you will look ridiculous if you are not wearing something festive like your beer hat or shamrock suspenders. Ordinarily a beer hat is something of a fashion risk, but on this day in this place, it is equivalent of wearing a tux to the opera.
3) For the people who are celebrating the wearing of the green with a pint or so, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. You also have to know it is equal opportunity so you can revel in the wearing of the green without having an Irish last name, a love of potatoes or relative named Pat, Patrick, or Patricia.
I left my apartment this day, went to a house party at my friend Fabi’s house, and returned later to find my house filled with strangers, some of them standing on the couch, some of them jumping up and down very hard (but not in time to the music) and a man rifling through my closet, “looking for the bathroom”…As I choose to see everything through green colored glasses, I said an internal “Slainte”and went back to the celebrating with the gente at Fabi’s house who had at this point, become upset because they had run out of green oreos. Despite what rumors you might have heard I did not meet up with a person in between fabi’s house and my triumphant return to her house with more fun confections. I probably should have taken a photo of this man in my closet for insurance, but I was distracted by the need to make more green oreos and debating about whether to make another Frittata. Yes, I was very trusting, but my feelings then were that people did not hurt people who make green oreos for sharing on Hoboken St. Patrick’s Day! Somebody should have told him this! I realized later, after I came back covered in copious party beads which were given to me by grateful frittata consumers, my checkbook was missing from my underwear drawer! The moral of the story is you should not get so distracted by this awesome frittata you are about to make that you don’t pay attention to things like grand larceny happening in your closet. I called my bank and told them about missing checkbook, and they asked if I knew who took it and I had to hold my tongue from saying a short man with a beard wearing green, because this description would have fit 50% of the men walking around in Hoboken on this particular Saturday. I noted his face and vowed if I ever saw him again to try and be in a position to pelt him with day old green chocolate oreos which, when I randomly saw him again, I unfortunately was not armed with. Would I have taken his photo as he sheepishly slunk out of my bedroom had I not earlier in the day been in my private “frittata-zone?” Debatable, but it is still an egg dish cautionary tale.
Ingedients
Belle Peppers (2 colors, de-cored, de-seeded and cut into slices)
medium shallot
2 garlic cloves
cup of quinoa
1.5 cups of chicken stock
shredded cheese (cheddar or the like)
salt and pepper (generous amount to taste)
Plan of Attack
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees
*From the bottom of my scrupulously honest heart, I must tell you I am incorporating lessons learned into these instructions so this is not exactly how I made it. You’ll have the benefit of my experience, especially when it comes to the cooking of the peppers.
Cook the quinoa according to directions using chicken stock in place of the water. Set aside *This step can be done a day ahead of time.
My lonely last piece…
Rub olive oil around the inside of the your cast iron skillet and add a little to the your cast iron skillet and add the diced shallot and garlic. Cook until slightly aromatic. Then, add more oil (if needed) to the skillet and cook the peppers until they are aromatic. *Cooking some of the liquid out of the vegetables before adding the eggs cuts down on the time the frittata needs to be in the oven.
Add 8-9 eggs to a medium mixing bowl and then add in about 2/3 cup of quinoa. Whisk throughly. *You have the option here of adding milk to make it fluffier. I did not have milk in the fridge but I would have added it if I could because when making eggs, if you can add milk, why the heck not!
Add the eggs into the skillet and sprinkle with shredded cheese, salt and pepper.
Cook on the stovetop until the edges are getting firm and then put in the oven. Cook until the frittata is cooked through. As with all egg based dishes (cheesecakes, quiches, etc), while it is still hot the top might have a little movement when you shake it - when it cools it will be perfect!
Serve hot and with the smile of a person who is eating ancient grains and loving it! I have eaten this particular frittata cold and it still hits the spot. I got the idea of adding quinoa from Dunkin Donuts’ now unavailable egg bowls….